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The Jerk (1979)

 -  Comedy  -  14 December 1979 (USA)
7.1
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Ratings: 7.1/10 from 29,733 users  
Reviews: 103 user | 45 critic

A complete imbecile struggles to make it through life on his own, until a strange invention makes him unbelievably wealthy.

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Writers:

(screenplay), (screenplay), 3 more credits »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
Navin / Cat Juggler (as Pig Eye Jackson also)
...
Marie
...
...
Mother
Richard Ward ...
Father
...
Taj
...
...
...
Frosty
...
Hobart
Helena Carroll ...
Hester
...
Elvira (as Ren Wood)
...
Punk #1
Sonny Terry ...
Blues Singer
Brownie McGhee ...
Blues Singer (as Brownie McGee)
Edit

Storyline

Navin is an idiot. He grew up in Mississippi as adopted son of a black family but on his 18th birthday he feels he wants to discover the rest of the world and sets out to St. Louis. There everyone exploits his naivety, but then a simple invention brings him a fortune. Written by Tom Zoerner <Tom.Zoerner@informatik.uni-erlangen.de>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

A rags to riches to rags story See more »

Genres:

Comedy

Certificate:

R | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

14 December 1979 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Easy Money  »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

When Marie is applying the face mask treatment to the older gentleman, she mentions that it will make the customer look years younger. At that moment his wife exclaims, "ahlevai," which means "I wish" in Hebrew. See more »

Goofs

When the family is sitting around the table for Navin's (Steve Martin) birthday, the family congratulates him and his brother says "That's great Steve!" See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Navin R. Johnson: Huh? I am *not* a bum. I'm a jerk. I once had wealth, power, and the love of a beautiful woman. Now I only have two things: my friends, and... uh... my thermos. Huh? My story? Okay. It was never easy for me. I was born a poor black child. I remember the days, sittin' on the porch with my family, singin' and dancin' down in Mississippi...
See more »

Crazy Credits

Pig Eye Jackson - Cat Juggler (Steve Martin) See more »

Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theatre 3000: Mighty Jack (1991) See more »

Soundtracks

"You Belong To Me"
Sung by Bernadette Peters and Steve Martin
Music by 'Lee David'
Lyric by Billy Rose
See more »

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User Reviews

Steve Martin Carries the Film to the Top
13 April 2001 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

Steve Martin's out-of-this-world performance is the main calling card of this hilarious comedy. Martin stars as a moron who has been raised by a poor African-American family. One night after hearing some music on the radio, he decides that it is time for him to go find his place in the world. What follows is a poor man's "Forrest Gump". Martin gets into some odd situations and goes from the bottom of the social ladder, to the top, and then to the bottom again. This is a flat-out comedy that is a laugh-a-minute romp. 4 stars out of 5.


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